A Lasting Reminder
by Stratagem
Summary: Levi and Hanji's daughter makes a friend who brings back a lot of memories for Levi.


Disclaimer: I don't own Attack on Titan. ^_^

A/N: Ava is 5, Remy is 10.

* * *

" **A Lasting Reminder"**

"I'm never going back to school," Remy announced as he stepped into Levi's office. He threw his school bag into a corner and crossed his arms. "I'm letting you know so you aren't surprised when I stay home tomorrow."

"I'm working," Levi said, not looking up from sharpening a knife.

Every day since school had started last week, Remy would storm into his or Hanji's office and declare that he was finished with school. He wasn't getting along with his teacher. Then again, his teacher was a stupid, vapid woman who tried to shield the kids by just avoiding any questions about Titans and forbidding talk of the military, so Levi didn't blame Remy. However, he had to go to class, and he would have to suffer through it until he could switch classes. Hanji was going to stop by the school tomorrow and have a long talk with the schoolmaster, so that would fix the situation.

Remy walked over and grabbed a couple books from a shelf before heading over to the chair in the corner. "She's crazy, Papa. She wants to pretend that Titans don't exist at all."

"Some people are morons. Get used to it, kid." He glanced up from the knife. "Where's your sister?"

"Downstairs with Mom," Remy replied as he sunk into the chair, "She brought some kid from her class back with her. His parents didn't pick him up, and she wouldn't leave him."

That gave him pause. "So you just let her bring him here? How do you think his parents are going to find him?"

"We left a note," Remy said, "And what was I supposed to do? I wasn't going to leave Ava at school, and she wasn't leaving without him."

"And none of the teachers stopped you?"

"We didn't really ask…we just left."

Levi leveled his eldest with a scowl. For being so clever, sometimes Remy didn't think about the consequences of his actions. The other kid's parents were probably losing their minds, thinking their child had been abducted. He knew he'd be beyond enraged if someone walked off with one of his troublemakers, even if they had good intentions.

"You should've told her no," Levi said, getting up from his desk. Now he had to go return some boy to his home and explain that his daughter had thought he was a stray or something.

"You make that sound easy."

"You're older."

Remy shoved his glasses further up onto the bridge of his nose then opened one of the books and settled it on his knee. "She's Ava." Like that was a real explanation.

"Do your homework, Trouble."

"I told you I'm not going back."

"Remy."

"Dad."

Levi gave his eldest a fierce glare. "Homework."

Remy growled under his breath, a trait he'd inherited from his mother, and slammed the book shut. He threw himself back out of the chair and stopped over to his backpack. Satisfied that his son was actually going to work on homework instead of studying old battle tactics, Levi walked out of the room and down the hall, heading for his wife's office. Why did he have to have kids that caused him such incredible headaches. Obviously this was Hanji's fault. The stubbornness and the harebrained ideas were from her side of the family.

He was almost at her office when the door flew open and two kids tumbled out, both of them wearing Survey Corps cloaks that were far too big for them.

"To the stables!" Ava declared, the hood of one of Hanji's cloaks falling back to reveal her grinning face. The cloak reached all the way to the floor on her, and it looked more like a robe. Her companion wasn't faring any better. He was completely covered, and it looked like he was struggling to find the opening in the hood.

Levi crossed his arms. "That's a terrible idea."

Ava jumped a little and whirled around, her smile not faltering for a moment. "Daddy! Where's Mommy? We're going exploring to find her!"

"She's probably in Erwin's office or pestering Armin or tormenting Moblit," Levi said, his gaze trained on his younger child and her new friend. "I heard you kidnapped one of your classmates."

"Did not, Remy lied," she said, putting her hands on her hips, her tone becoming very matter-of-fact. "I brought him here because his mom didn't come to pick him up. He couldn't stay at school, Daddy. And I didn't kidnap anybody, he wanted to come."

"I did!" came the muffled cry of support from the spare cape. Finally the kid was able to get his head through the neck of the cape. "Hello, sir. Ava said it'd be okay if I came, and I didn't want to stay at school. But I can go back if you want me to…sir?"

Levi was frozen. He already knew who this kid was without asking his name. The blond hair, brown eyes, the slight smile, those were just a hint. No, it was the way he stood, the way he talked. It was too familiar. They belonged to someone who had once been his second-in-command, someone he trusted.

"Daddy?" Ava's hand slipped into his and squeezed his fingers, bringing him back to the here and now, away from a bloody forest clearing years ago.

"Your last name is Jinn." It wasn't a question. He already knew the answer.

The kid nodded anyways. "Anders Jinn. And your name is Captain Levi."

"Levi Ackerman. Our last name is Ackerman," Ava added, her head leaning against Levi's arm for a moment.

Levi unconsciously reached out and brushed his fingers through his daughter's dark brown hair. "Did Ava tell you that?"

"No, my dad did," the kid said quietly. He looked up at Levi with Eld's eyes. "My uncle was part of your team once. Dad said that he said you're one of the best soldiers ever."

"He is," Ava said proudly.

But he hadn't been good enough to save his team that day. Still, Eld's family hadn't held that against him. They had even sent food to him a few days after the corps returned because they had heard he had been injured. They had lost their son, brother, husband, and they were still able to think of others. And now here was Eld's nephew who had never met him, standing side by side with Levi's own daughter.

"Can't he stay?" Ava asked, giving her dad's hand a squeeze again. "Please? He's not too loud."

"I'm not loud!" Anders exclaimed.

"Your parents will wonder where you're at," Levi said slowly, "I'll send someone to wait at the school to bring her here." It'd be a good job for Springer.

"So you can stay!" Ava said, bouncing on her toes before she grabbed Anders' hand. "Come on, we gotta find my mom and save the garrison!"

"Okay," Anders said with a grin.

"Hey," Levi said, reaching out and touching Anders' shoulder, "You should know. Your uncle was one of the best soldiers I ever met."

Anders stared at him for a long moment and then nodded. "I know." He gave a sort of half-smile and then let Ava pull him away, heading for the stables. When the kids were gone, Levi leaned against the wall for a moment, feeling old. He saw Eld in his nephew, that quiet confidence shining through.

Isabel lived on in Ava's bright smile and exuberant nature, her embrace open to the world.

Farlan's wry humor and steadfastness appeared in Remy.

Sometimes it seemed like those Levi had lost weren't in fact truly gone. Sometimes it seemed like they were still there, in the next generation.

He could live with that.


End file.
